Program Feature: History

Apr 15, 2020

What was it like to live in other countries and past eras? How does the work of historians honour the people of the past, present, and future? What details contributed to the major events of history? How were they experienced in the moment? Why does that matter today?

These are some of the important questions that history students at King’s ask and are asked over the course of their studies. This is a discipline that is accessible to a variety of people with different skills and inclinations: it can be about facts, names, dates, and data, but history is also about deeply human stories and the narrative of humanity; Studying the past allows students to better understand and engage with their present.

The course list covers a variety of Canadian and European topics based on location, time period, or theme. From a foundation in world history, students can move on to study the World Wars, Canadian history, the history of medicine, Russian history, American history, and the history of childhood, among others. The Historiography and Methods course introduces students to the theory and hands-on work of a historian, allowing them to conduct their own research at one of the archives in the city. Some students even work one-on-one with our history professors on special research projects.

Our History program prepares students for both work after graduation and further education. History graduates from King’s have begun careers as archivists, politicians, and museum curators, and have gone on to continue their education in fields like anthropology, art history, education, and international relations.